Life On Camera: Keep Your Child Forever Young

Life is a gift. Clichè? Perhaps, but it's true. And what better way to preserve the joyous occasion of new life by capturing the moment with a photograph? Ensure that your child has something to look back on when they're all grown up... it's one of the most important gifts a parent can give to their child. Below we'll show you what to look out for when composing that all-important young-life album - whether you're a beginner with an uncertain eye or even an expert behind the lens.

Flash & Lighting

Are you a new parent? Is your baby still staying in one spot? Well then, no time like the present to get practising! This temporary immobility of your child will provide you with the perfect opportunity to acquaint yourself with the various features of your camera and also to start looking for those moments that won't be coming along again - ever again.

Start off by paying attention to the more technical aspects of photography. Consider the lighting of the room you are in: ensure the room is well-lit and that your camera's ISO (light sensitivity) is set to 800. This will enable you to turn off the flash that might otherwise startle your child.

Now, when you're taking pictures indoors, pay attention to some of the adjustment features on your camera. Are there any settings for different lighting? You'll note that most digital cameras have the ability to adjust to the amount of light in the room. For the best possible exposure, try each of these settings and evaluate the outcome on your camera's LCD screen. Parents who'll be venturing outside will do best on cloudy days where the light is just soft enough to supply the perfect skin tone.

In all situations, there's one thing to look out for, even when the lighting is perfect: your own shadow. While some pictures become more "authentic" with these accidental blunders, it is essential to ensure that the person who'll be viewing the photograph in a decade or two will receive the maximum amount of joy from them. Other than that, capture every moment and every feature of your child - it won't be the same tomorrow!

Composition

One of the most important things to remember when you are taking pictures of infants is that they're probably not used to the camera (as with some adults). Each infant will react differently. But to help that 'natural' behaviour along, there's only one thing you can do: take as many pictures as possible. The camera will become part of their daily lives, which means that they'll soon forget what you're doing and provide you with some priceless, natural, snaps.

But that's only one part of it. 'Composition' in photographic terms depends on a number of other factors, too. One of the principle bits of advice that apply, especially with young children, is that you have to put yourself in their shoes, or, perhaps more appropriately, at their height. Get down to your child's level - even when he or she is enjoying some 'belly time' - and start snapping away. Pay attention to naturally occurring lines and how you can use them to create a sense of direction - it can provide a platform for that unspoken emotional volume often found in the best photographs.

The Rule Of Thirds

One last note in terms of composition, we'd like to introduce you to something called "The Rule of Thirds" - used by artists and professional photographers alike. To best illustrate how this works, get a pencil and a piece of paper, and draw the following: four even-spaced vertical lines intersected by two evenly-spaced parallel horizontal lines. When done right, you should have nine squares with the upper- and lower-most horizontal lines missing. The important part is the centre square and where it joins with its neighbours above and below - highlight these by drawing a little '+' on the corners. These four '+' signs indicate imaginary positions in the picture where the object being photographed should be (be it your child's body, his or her eyes, etc.). In other words, the focus of the picture should be located either a third or two thirds from the top or a third or two thirds from the bottom. Avoid using the very top, very bottom, centre and corners for important objects or features.

Setting Up That Prize-Winning Shot

What makes for a good picture? In terms of technique, we've already covered some of the basics. But what about content? Start thinking from the perspective of your child: taking a picture over your child's shoulder will supply a more intimate account of a moment in the life of your child: what is he or she looking at; what are they thinking whilst looking at the object in the background; is that object still there? Getting these and other amazing photographs is actually much easier than you think, but will require you to spend as much time as possible with your little bundle of joy without actually getting in the way.

Other moments to look out for include the concentration on your child's face whilst trying to pick up an ant, or even when they reach with for a strange new object with uncertainty and wonder painted across an innocent countenance. And, of course, lest we forget the firsts... the first time your child crawls, walks or even speaks (even though you can't capture sound in a photograph that moment will live on in your memory, forever).

In conclusion, we'd like to encourage you to start taking pictures today - whether your baby has already taken his or her first breath or even if they'll only arrive in a couple of months. Practise makes perfect, as they say, so ensure that you are up to the challenge by getting your eye and that itchy finger of yours trained for the right moments. This is where you start building on a tremendous gift; this is where you have the opportunity to keep your child forever young.

About The Author

Betty A. Muscott is an accomplished child photographer who calls her photographs of children "real kids photographs". She offers valuable advice to parents on the best starter digital camera, and how to use their best photographs to decorate their homes with pictures on canvas.